|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
- F -
|
 | Between 1121 and 1123, two books, one entitled On Contemplating God, and the other The Nature and Dignity of Love. These were written at Saint Thierry, likely at the beginning of his abbacy. |
| In 1128, he sent to Saint Bernard the work The Sacrament of the Altar. |
| From 1121 to 1148, he wrote his Meditations (Meditativae Orationes). |
| At Signy, to ‘flee idleness’, he filled his free time with works of compilation on which he left his personal mark- commentaries on the Song of Songs, a commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. |
| In 1138, he began an expose on the Song of Songs, a work which he later interrupted to write his dispute against Abélard. He wrote The Mirror of Faith and the Enigma of Faith in order to guide the youths of his day who were influenced by Abélard and to respond to their questions. |
| His Golden Epistle had a resounding influence in the formation of religious of all orders. |
| He was unable to complete his final work, a Biography of Saint Bernard. |
William of Saint Thierry is one of the great glories of the Order of Cîteaux, one of its "four evangelists", according to Dom Anselme leBail, along with Bernard, Aelred and Guerric.
Guerric of Igny : (between 1070 and 1080 -1157)
Guerric is less well-known, yet is counted as one of the "four evangelists" of Cîteaux. Born in Tournai, a cleric and later a canon, he led a secluded life, devoted to prayer and meditation. He was well over the age of forty when he entered Clairvaux around 1120 and in 1138 he was sent to Igny, daughter-house of Clairvaux, where he became its abbot. He died at Clairvaux in 1157.
He was known as a humble, ardent man, a lover of poverty. He has left us 54 well written Sermons, rich in doctrine.
Aelred of Rievaulx : (1110-1166)
Born in Northumbria in the borough of Hexham. At age twenty-two, steward to King David I of Scotland. At the age of twenty-four, he became a monk at Rievaulx and a few years later became father-master. In 1143 he was elected abbot of Revesby and four years later, abbot of Rievaulx.
He wrote enormously. His letters have been lost but his numerous sermons, spiritual and historical works have been preserved.
Gilbert of Hoyland : (? -1172)
Abbot of Swineshead, a Benedictine congregation which became Cistercian in 1147. It is thought that he came from Rievaulx and was sent by Aelred to lead the adopted community.
He continued Bernard’s unfinished Commentary on the Song of Songs, adding 48 sermons to Bernard’s 86. He also wrote seven treatises and four letters.
Baldwin of Forde : (? -1190)
Born in a poor family in the South-west of England, Baldwin studied and may also have taught at Exeter, in Devonshire. Archdeacon of Totnes in 1161, he resigned from this office in 1169 to enter the abbey of Forde. In 1175, he was elected abbot and in 1180 was promoted to the bishopric of Worcester. In 1184, he became archbishop of Canterbury. He accompanied Richard the Lion Hearted, as chaplain, during the crusade and died at Tyre in 1190.
He was of short stature, modest and reserved in temperament. He spoke little, was slow to anger and of a generous nature. He was well cultured and wrote several works of which a portion has been uncovered and published.
John of Forde : (1140-1214)
He entered Forde at a young age, was formed by its abbot Baldwin, became his secretary and then his prior. In 1186 he was elected abbot of Bindon, a foundation of Forde, later becoming abbot of Forde.
His principal written work is the completion of the Commentary on the Song of Songs, which was begun by Bernard and continued by Gilbert of Hoyland.
His Sermon for Palm Sunday and his Life of Saint Wulfric, Hermit, have been preserved.
For further reading on the Cistercian Fathers, see:
deWaal, Esther, The Way of Simplicity (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1998) Matarasso, Pauline, The Cistercian World: Monastic Writings in the Twelfth Century (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1993) Pennington, M. Basil, The Last of the Fathers: The Cistercian Fathers of the Twelfth Century (Still River, Mass.: Still River Publications, 1992)
Foundation
To found a new monastery, an abbey requires the consent of its community, obtained through a vote of its Chapter, the consent of the Father Immediate and of General Chapter. To ensure the development of the foundation, a minimum of six monks (or nuns) must be sent to the foundation.
For a foundation to become a major priory, it must have at least six solemnly professed monks (or nuns).
To be raised to an autonomous abbey, the priory must have, besides the superior, at least twelve monks (or nuns) in solemn vows.
All these steps must follow the stipulations of "Statutes on Foundations", a document annexed to the Constitutions of the Cistercian Order.
Gaboury, Dom
Pacôme, second abbot of Oka
Dom Pacôme was born on the 23rd of August 1873, in St. Césaire de Rouville. He studied at the classical college of Ste-Marie-du-Monnoir and at the seminary of philosophy of St. Hyacinthe.
During a youth which led him at the age of 19 to the doors of the monastery, he exercised his vivacious spirit and developed his athletic prowess. This athletic temperament rose to meet all new challenges. Throughout his life, he would distinguish himself by this character trait in all enterprises: in economy of gesture, always targeting its end, in economy of speech, aimed toward its outcome, success.
At the age of 40, Dom Pacôme was elected abbot of Notre-Dame-du-Lac. His election took place on the 24th of October 1913. This was not his first experience as superior, as for the last 12 years he had been prior at Mistassini. There he was able to succesfully consolidate a foundation which, in 1901, had been threatened with ruin.
The task which awaited him, as abbot of Oka, was no less formidable: a growing monastic community (96 religious in 1913 and 175 in 1935), a school of agriculture whose student population increased every year and the need to maintain its high-quality university level curriculum.
Dom Pacôme returns to the Father
On the 30th of August, 1963, Dom Pacôme celebrated, at the age of 90, his Abbatial Golden Jubilee. Despite his age he travelled, in January 1964, to General Chapter. Upon his return, he fell in his room and dislocated his hip. Hospital medical intervention was unsuccessful. Sensing that his end was near, he requested that he be brought back to the monastery, where he returned to the Father on the afternoon of June 18, 1964.
For more than 50 years, Dom Pacôme had been the animator of his community. He imprinted on it his spirit, he modelled it after his own personal discipline and determination. Beyond the monastery buildings that tell us of his work, the monks of Oka treasure the memory of the one who was an ardent defender of monastic values and observances and who remained faithful to his motto, ‘verbo et exemplo’.
Gilbert of Hoyland (? -1172) see Fathers, Cistercian
Girard
Yves, o.c.s.o
Born in 1927, Father Yves Girard began his classical studies at the age of 18. In 1951, he entered the Oka monastery. After 30 years of monastic life, he discovered his talent as a writer and communicator. In 1980-81, on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of St. Benedict, founder of Western monasticism, the Oka monastery opened its doors to the laity who sought to deepen their knowledge and understanding of monastic life. These sessions on "Intériorité chrétienne" (Christian inner life) were enthusiastically welcomed by the public, thus beginning Fr. Girard’s writing career.
Fr. Girard has written several books and recorded numerous audio tapes of his talks. A complete list of his works is available from the Abbey of Notre-Dame-du-Lac (Oka).
Guillet, dom Urbain :
- H -
Stephen was a monk from Sherburne, in Dorset. Following a pilgrimage to Rome, he accompanied Saint Robert to Molesmes and then to Cîteaux. He became sub-prior under Saint Robert, prior under Saint Alberic and finally was elected abbot. He was responsible for the drafting of the Constitutions of his order, along with amending the Charter of Charity, which he presented to the General Chapter of Cîteaux in 1119. It is to Saint Stephen that Cistercians owe their definitive status as a new branch of the Benedictine Order. It is Saint Stephen who received Bernard and his 30 companions at Cîteaux and who two years later, in 1115, sent him to Clairvaux as founding abbot.Saint Stephen Harding was canonized in 1623.
- J -
- K -
- L -
The monastic hour of Lauds is celebrated at daybreak. It is a laudatory liturgy of praise. The hymns, psalms and canticles of Lauds celebrate the first light of creation and our redemption in Christ's paschal victory.
Lectio Divina is the meditative reading of scripture. In Lectio, we are called to listen to the Word with the 'ears of the heart'. For the monk, Lectio takes place in the Office and continues throughout the day. There are specific times devoted to private Lectio Divina, such as the time between Vigils and Lauds. At other times of the day, even when immersed in other occupations, the monk continues to pray and meditate on his encounter with Christ in the Word.
Dom André Louf was born in 1929 in Louvain, France. At the age of 22, he entered the Cistercian abbey of Mont-des Cats, in French Flanders. Ordained to the priesthood in 1955, he studied at the Gregorian University and Biblical Institute in Rome. Upon his return to Mont-des-Cats, he presided over the editing of the monastic periodical Collectanea Cisterciensia. In 1963 he was elected abbot of his monastery. Later, he became moderator of General Chapter.He has written several works on spiritual life. His work The Cistercian Way (Cistercian Publications, 1983) is a fine presentation of Cistercian spirituality.
(cont.)
